Xingyun Wang
DETAILS:
b.1998
works and lives in New York, NY
"In my work, I utilize pigmented glue to layer thin sheets of paper onto thick watercolor paper, crafting a textured surface. Pushing the paper when wet and moving the glue around, is a tactile process of drawing with bodily and material contingencies. The interplay between thin and thick papers creates a stratified texture of semi-opaque layers, conjuring images of: engulfing floods, the remnants of landscape in ruins, skin, and scars. Upon this surface, I accumulate small marks, weaving together a narrative-landscape comprised of multiple viewpoints and perspectives."
Xingyun employs a meticulous process, utilising pigmented glue to layer thin sheets of paper onto thick watercolour paper, resulting in textured surfaces that evoke a myriad of emotions and imagery. She creates a tactile experience through a visual expression, breaking, fusing, hardening, flowing, and intertwining the properties of matter on the surface of the painting like tissues of thoughts, inviting the viewer to contemplate the themes of turbulence, fragility, and strength in the fictional landscapes constructed by the massive scale.
Within her textured compositions, Xingyun weaves together narratives that hint at the aftermath of calamitous events, with subdued tones suggesting both peril and resilience. Her pieces are adorned with elements such as paint drips, perforated holes, scraps of paper, embedded hair and glass flakes, serving as poignant reminders of the fragility of existence, while scarlet marks and imprints of bodies that symbolise the indomitable human spirit.
Drawing from her personal experiences as a queer woman, Xingyun finds parallels between her journey of overcoming fear and helplessness and the fortitudinous of the materials she works with. Paper - extremely vulnerable, soft and adaptable - has endured, steadfastly chronicling the grand narratives of humanity throughout the annals of history and across the globe.
Through Xingyun’s art, she offers a testament to the enduring power of memory and transformation. Each piece tells a story of strength, perseverance, and resilience, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the intricate narratives and textured landscapes she creates.
Wang Xingyun’s exhibitions include: Terrible Terrible, 205 Hudson Gallery, New York NY, 2023; I Want Enough Luck, Bob’s Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, 2023; Pulp, Pierogi Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, 2022; and Forbidden Fruit, Piano Craft Gallery, Boston, MA, 2021.
